Follow us

Our Editors Found the Best Pepper Grinder

There are few things in your kitchen more taken for granted than the pepper grinder. Perhaps one of the least sexy, flashy tools, it contains one of the most called-for ingredients. If you are like most people, your black peppercorns sit in a wooden mill that must be turned at minimum 80 times to produce more than a dusting.

WATCH: How to Make Fire Crackers

The labor-to-result ratio may be so off that you have bought pre-ground pepper at the grocery store or thought about using your coffee grinder to speed up the process, only to hate yourself the morning after when your coffee turns you into a fire-breathing dragon a la Game of Thrones.

That’s why the first time we used the Kuhn Rikon Ratchet Grinder, we swore we could have heard angels singing. Instead of turning the top in futility to release a powdery spat of pepper, you quickly pull and push the handle to grind the peppercorns and you can determine your preferred level of coarseness with the handy dial on the front. That means you get more flavor with less fortitude. And the ceramic stones inside won’t corrode or lose their sharpness, unlike your current grinder which is likely as dull as dishwater.

But the best part is how easy it is to refill. While other mills might leave you with rolling peppercorns all over your kitchen floor, the Kuhn Rikon grinder has a pull-out spout so there’s no need to take apart the entire tool or remove any pieces.

While $18 for such a boring kitchen device might not have been on your original Amazon.com wishlist, it’s a small price to pay for a future filled with well-seasoned food.